Dropping Individual Courses for F-1 and J-1 Students

Remember that any course drop(s) or reduction in semester hours must be approved while the semester is still in session. International students in F or J status cannot retroactively drop or withdraw courses once a semester has ended.

Permission from International Student and Scholar Services is required to process this change in registration for anyone on a student visa if the course drop or reduction in semester hours will (1) take you below full-time enrollment, or (2) involves online/distance courses. Students in F-1 and J-1 status should follow the steps below:

  1. Initiate the course drop online in MyUI. It will inform you if you also need ISSS approval.
  2. If you need ISSS approval, please visit ISSS advising hours to meet with an ISSS advisor to review your course drop. 
  3. Remember that your academic advisor must also approve the drop in MyUI, and most advisors prefer you to see them in person before they will approve.
  4. Once you have all necessary approvals, you then need to log back in to MyUI to finalize the drop.

Course drops approved after the official UI deadline are considered LATE DROPS, and will require approval from the Dean’s office of your college. You will find deadline dates listed at https://registrar.uiowa.edu/academic-calendar. 

General Rules for Course Drops:

  • If your course drop will put you below full-time (fewer than 12 s.h. for undergrads or 9 s.h. for grad/professional students) you must also submit a part-time authorization e-form in iHawk, and your academic advisor must enter comments in the e-form before we can approve your course drop. Only qualifying reasons can be used to request part-time authorization from ISSS.
  • If your drop will put you bellow full-time and is due to a documented medical condition, please follow the medical part-time authorization instructions.
  • If you wish to completely withdraw from the semester/all courses, follow the withdrawal process in the section below.
  • F-1 students: only one (1) online/distance course of up to 3 s.h. can count toward full-time enrollment requirements each semester – remaining courses must all be in-person classes.
  • J-1 students: only one (1) online/distance course can count toward full-time enrollment requirements each semester – remaining courses must all be in-person classes.

Withdrawal Definition: F-1 Students

The information below is primarily for F-1 students. J-1 students should follow the instructions found at the bottom of this page.

Definition: For immigration purposes, withdrawal refers to

1) Withdrawing from all courses student is taking during the current semester

OR

2) Completing the current semester but not returning to classes in the next academic semester (or during the official break between semesters)

How do I withdraw from my classes in the middle of the semester?

Each semester has a withdrawal deadline prior to the final four weeks of classes. The deadline is published on the website of the Registrar Service Center. Students may sometimes withdraw after the deadline* but must obtain special permission per regulations in their academic college. Late withdrawal should not be used by international students to escape anticipated poor grades. Late withdrawal may carry issues associated with the immigration status.**

**ISSS is seeing visa denials for students who withdraw late in a semester. It is possible that consular offices are viewing these late withdrawals as attempts to escape poor grades and deny accordingly. If you choose to withdraw later and have difficulty renewing your visa, there will be nothing ISSS or the UI can do to assist you.

What happens to my academic record after I withdraw from my classes?

Your academic record will indicate with a letter "W" that you withdrew for a given semester. You will not receive grades or academic credit for the courses you had been enrolled in prior to withdrawing your registration for that given semester.

What happens to my F-1 immigration record if I choose to withdraw from the current semester?

If your withdrawal is approved by academic advisor and then by ISSS, your immigration record in SEVIS is terminated by ISSS for "Authorized early withdrawal" reason. This type of termination does not leave a negative mark in your immigration record. The ISSS approval is given electronically in MyUI following the approval by your academic advisor or Academic Advising Center. After you received approval from ISSS, you will have up to 15 days to depart the U.S.

If you did not notify ISSS and withdrew from your classes without ISSS approval then you have no grace period and must immediately depart the U.S.

I did complete the semester, but now I’ve decided I want to take some time off. When do I need to depart the U.S.?

  1. If you are still here in Iowa City, please come in to ISSS office during walk in hours to discuss your plans before departure.
  2. If it is a break between fall or spring semesters (i.e. winter break or summer break), and you are in the U.S., you have flexibility in choosing what date you leave the U.S., as long as you have departed and withdrew from classes & immigration status by the first day of classes of the next semester. If you are already in your home country when you decide to withdraw, again, the request must reach ISSS before the first day of classes.

For example, you may decide that you need to take the fall semester off. You decide you will leave the U.S. July 15. You will indicate that date when you submit the withdrawal request e-form to ISSS. Your SEVIS record will not be terminated until that date. At that point you will no longer be in legal status so you must make sure to not delay beyond your original departure date - if your plans change, you need to communicate with ISSS BEFORE your original departure date arrives.

Although your SEVIS record is "terminated" after your withdrawal is approved by ISSS, this is not viewed as a "negative" mark on your immigration record. It is the standard procedure required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Your electronic SEVIS record will show that you were terminated due to "authorized early withdrawal."

Retroactive Withdrawal

Retroactive Withdrawal means withdrawing from a semester that has already completed. This also covers drops of individuals courses. As of May 2014, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed ISSS that retroactive withdrawal is not permissible under any circumstances. This means that an international student can no longer receive permission to have registration for a previous semester removed. Any withdrawal request must be approved by ISSS and must occur BEFORE the end of the existing semester, or a start of the next semester, to be withdrawn.

Non-Medical Withdrawal: F-1 Withdrawing and Returning to the University of Iowa - Absent Less Than 5 Months

This option is only for those who:

1. Withdraw from a semester after it has started, and before the withdrawal deadline published by the Registrar Service Center.

2. Or withdraw during a break within a certain period of the start of the semester.

If you will be absent from the U.S. for less than 5 months and not enrolled in classes at the University of Iowa, your SEVIS record must be terminated. You must then leave the U.S. within 15 days of your withdrawal.

Withdrawal process if you wish to return for the next semester:

To ensure sufficient time to have your SEVIS record reactivated, you must withdraw by the withdrawal deadline published by the Registrar Service Center. Otherwise, you must instead follow the instructions below for "Absent More Than 5 Months" and wait until the following semester to return.

To withdraw:

  1. Log in to your iHawk account (click the blue login button) using your HawkID and password.
  2. Go to "F-1 Student Services" and complete the "Withdrawal Request-- Less than 5 Months" e-form request.
  3. Wait for ISSS email confirmation that your withdrawal was approved before departing the U.S.. ISSS also may contact you for clarification if we you did not discuss your withdrawal with us prior to seeing your request.

To reenter the U.S. after your 5 months or less absence, you must have:

1) a passport valid for at least six months upon re-entry,
2) valid F-1 visa and
3) your current I-20 with a valid travel signature. Travel signatures are valid for entry into the U.S. for one year from the date signed, provided your document has not expired, and your major, degree level, and/or source of funding has not changed.

When you are ready to return, your immigration status must be reactivated by SEVP. Approximately 60 days prior to the start of the coming semester you must log back in to the “Withdrawal Request - Less than 5 Months” located under the F-1 Student Services tab in iHawk. Complete the “Reactivation of SEVIS Record” e-form so that we can ask SEVP to have your SEVIS record reactivated. We can only contact them up to 60 days before the start of classes for the semester in which you plan to return to the University of Iowa. This means that delays may be possible depending on how long it takes SEVP to reactivate your record, and we cannot guarantee it will be done in time for you to return for the desired semester. This is a risk taken in withdrawal.

Non-Medical Withdrawal: F-1 Withdrawing and Returning to the University of Iowa - Absent More Than 5 Months

This type of withdrawal is for:

  • Those who will withdraw and be absent more than 5 months before the next session of enrollment.

    OR
  • Those who request withdrawal after the semester's withdrawal deadline has passed. This withdrawal option does carry risks, and even if you are confirmed by the Consulate to use your valid visa, it is the CBP inspection at the first port of entry that determines your admissibility to the U.S.

NOTE: Please be aware that ISSS will not approve any non-medical withdrawal requested during the finals week of any semester.

To withdraw:
If you will not maintain registration at the University of Iowa to keep working on your degree program (such as through an official UI study abroad program or registering for PhD Continuous Registration while working on your dissertation), ISSS is required to terminate your SEVIS record. Please login to your iHawk account (click the blue login button) using your HawkID and password. Go to "F-1 Student Services" and complete the "Withdrawal Request-- More than 5 Months" e-form request to have your withdrawal approved.

To reenter the U.S. :

A) After a 5-12 month absence:

  • Contact ISSS, ideally three to five months before your plan to return, in order to obtain a new, initial I-20.
  • Follow the procedures to request this I-20 and submit the I-20 Request Form.

B) After more than 12 months and will not maintain registration:

  • First complete a short form to be officially readmitted to the University of Iowa. Contact the Office of Admissions and click on the information for “Returning Students” for instructions.

When using this type of withdrawal, you will be issued a new, initial I-20 with a new SEVIS identification number. This means:

  1. You will be required to pay the SEVIS fee before you will be allowed to re-enter the U.S. Please refer to our instructions on paying the SEVIS fee.
  2. You may be required to obtain a new F-1 visa if it expired during your absence.
    • If the visa did not expire during your absence, you may use the unexpired visa for re-entry into the U.S. It is important that you contact the U.S. Consulate that issued the unexpired visa to ensure it is still valid when you travel back to the U.S. Do this before departing your home country.
    • If it is confirmed by the U.S. Consulate that the unexpired visa in your passport is valid for travel, please take the receipt for SEVIS fee payment with you. It will have to be presented to the Customs and Border Protection officer at the first U.S. port of entry.
    • If using unexpired visa for travel, CBP officer may ask for "Secondary Passport Screening/ Inspection" to cross check your immigration record. This could cause a delay in catching your connecting flight. Adjust your flight schedule to account for this possibility and to avoid flight changes/ cancellations.
  3. You can only re-enter the U.S. up to 30 days before the report date on the new I-20.
  4. You will need to contact ISSS as soon as you return to the U.S. If you do not check in, your SEVIS record will be automatically terminated by the system after 30 days and you lose your legal ability to be in the U.S.
  5. Once you have returned to the U.S., you will not be eligible for Curricular Practical Training or Optional Practical Training until you have been registered full-time for one full academic year (summer session excluded).

Medical Withdrawal

The rules and process for medical withdrawal is different. Follow the process outlined on the Medical Condition Part-Time Authorization or Withdrawal page.

Withdrawing: J-1 Students Only

Definition:  Withdrawing from all courses you are taking during the current semester OR completing the current semester but deciding not to return to classes for the next academic semester

How do I withdraw from my classes in the middle of the semester?

Each semester has a withdrawal deadline that is just prior to the final four weeks of classes.  These deadlines are published on the website of the Office of the Registrar.  Students may sometimes withdraw after this time, but must obtain special permission per regulations in their academic college.  International students should note that late withdrawal should not be used to escape anticipated poor grades.  We are also beginning to see cases where students who withdraw late are unable to obtain a new visa to return to studies in the next semester.  

If you are a student in J-1 status and you wish to withdraw, contact isss@uiowa.edu so that permission can be granted and your SEVIS record updated.  There is no special e-form for J-1 students.

What happens to my academic record after I withdraw from my classes?

Your academic record will indicate that you withdrew for a given semester.  You will not receive grades or academic credit for the courses you had been enrolled in prior to withdrawing your registration for that given semester. 

Are there any ramifications to my J-1 record if I choose to withdraw my registration during the current semester?

You must receive approval from ISSS before withdrawing.  ISSS approval is given electronically in MyUI.  Provided that you first received approval from ISSS, your DS-2019 end date will be shortened and you will have up to 15 days to depart the U.S.  If you did not notify ISSS and withdrew from your classes without ISSS approval then you have no grace period and must immediately depart the U.S.

ISSS is also starting to see visa denials for students who withdrew late in a semester.  It is possible that consular offices are viewing these late withdrawals as attempts to escape poor grades and deny accordingly.  If you choose to withdraw later and have difficulty renewing your visa, there will be nothing ISSS or the UI can do to assist you.

I did complete the semester, but now I’ve decided I want to take some time off.  When do I need to depart the U.S.? 

If you are still here in Iowa City, please come in to our office to discuss your plans before departure.  The issue of departure is a gray regulatory area; ISSS recommends that you depart the U.S. no later than the start of classes for the next semester.  You must notify ISSS of your exact departure date.  If you have already left the U.S. prior to discussing your situation, please e-mail us as soon as possible at isss@uiowa.edu.  If you fail to notify our office of your plans in a timely manner, your record will auto-terminate for failure to enroll. 

Are there any ramifications to my J-1 record if I decide to take some time off?

Yes.  You may not remain in the U.S. in J-1 status if you do not intend to register during the next academic term.  (Exception: Continuing J-1 students are not required to enroll during the summer registration period).  If you decide to take some time off, please discuss your plans with the ISSS.  Depending on how long you intend to be gone, different actions will need to be taken with your SEVIS record.  If ISSS is not notified, advisors will not be able to take the appropriate actions with your SEVIS record.

Retroactive Withdrawal

Retroactive Withdrawal means withdrawing from a semester that has already completed.  This also covers drops of individuals courses.  As of May 2014, the Department of Homeland Security informed ISSS that retroactive withdrawal is not permissible under any circumstances.  This means that an international student can no longer receive permission to have registration for a previous semester removed.  Any withdrawal request must be approved by ISSS and occur BEFORE the end of the existing semester to be withdrawn.

Study Abroad or Research Abroad

If you will be absent from the U.S. for an extended period of time, but will be registered in an official study abroad program OR you will be maintaining your registration at the University of Iowa while doing research/working on your dissertation, your SEVIS record will not be terminated, provided you continue to maintain status and agree to meet certain requirements.

  • For students conducting research abroad, you must maintain full-time enrollment or be authorized for part-time enrollment by ISSS each semester you are absent (12 s.h. for undergraduates and 9 s.h. for graduate students). If you pursue part-time enrollment, you must turn in the appropriate part-time authorization form located on the ISSS website no later than the second week of the semester
  • For students studying abroad, please ask for a verification form from your Study Abroad advisor.
  • You are encouraged to e-mail isss@uiowa.edu at least one month prior to returning to confirm your SEVIS record is active and you will be able to return successfully.